The submission at hand is mostly based on documents from the Austrian Disability Council, the umbrella organization of over 85 Member Associations representing approximately 1.4 million persons with disabilities in Austria. These documents were elaborated in participatory formats with persons with disabilities and their organizations. In addition, experts from various fields including persons with disabilities contributed to the civil society report providing their expertise.
On 5 December 2024, the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee held a regular meeting which was attended by some relevant stakeholders and guest speakers, who provided timely updates on the different, ongoing, institutional activities. Representatives of the AU ECOSOCC joined this meeting for a presentation of their mandate and functioning as well as to discuss further the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the EESC in Accra, in July 2024.
On 13 June 2024, the EESC hosted a High-Level Roundtable with major EU civil society actors on a civil society engagement mechanism in the framework of the EU-AU partnership to brainstorm on possible ways forward that would ensure that the stakeholder engagement mechanism under the Samoa Agreement is inclusive and representative, giving a strong voice to civil society within the Partnership policies and projects.
In the framework of civil society participation in the new OACPS-EU partnership agreement, the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee held, on 7 March 2024, a meeting for a timely debate on its future as well as to discuss and agree on the Work Programme for 2024.
